While Vietnam is generally a very safe destination for female traveling alone, you should always be aware of your surroundings. Here are a few tips for women traveling solo

Female traveling solo to Vietnam: The country is relatively safe to go alone and spend your time the way you desire, however, women vacationing from west are often stereotyped, and the social freedoms you may be used to at home could be taboo here in Vietnam, buy, that’s not all you may be aware of, Vietnam is open, people are amazing and you will feel yourself in another planet. Vietnam with its Luscious beauty everywhere, from delicate design to Technicolor sunsets attracts solo women more that any country in the region. Most visitors to Vietnam are overwhelmed by the sublime beauty of the country’s natural setting: The Red River Delta in the north, the Mekong Delta in the south and almost the entire 3000 of coastal strip are a patchwork of brilliant green rice paddies tended by women in conical hats. There are some divine beaches along the coast, while inland there are soaring mountains, some of which are cloaked by dense, misty forests. Vietnam also offers an opportunity to see a country of traditional charm and rare beauty rapidly opening up to the outside world. What else are you waiting for? This is a destination to be, read our solo women & safety tips for female traveling Vietnam.

Theft and Other Crimes

Violent, theft and crimes against solo woman travelers are shockingly rare here in Vietnam, and as a tourist your primary concern should be the petty crime, specially in big cities such as Ho Chi Minh City, the pickpockets, bag snatching, or mobile phone theft have been reported from the tourist areas such as in Bui Vien. Hanoi and Danang and other cities haven’t really seen such a thing but again, taking your own safety a a solo women traveling in Vietnam would be an extra bonus adding to your own safety. It is important that you show respect for the Vietnamese culture, also, it is appreciated if you pay attention with courtesy and kindness to the locals, and you will avoid any controversy or misunderstanding. As mentioned earlier, theft and petty crimes may occur while the country is a relatively safe to travel to. Vietnam’s main source of income is tourism, so the safety for tourists, specially for the solo females it is the greatest concern by the authorities. Smaller scams may happen specially when you trying to take a taxi in the streets, remember to always negotiate the taxi fare for your destination and make sure to get on the cab when you agreed on the fare, Taxis set up the meter, which may be charging you 2-3 times more than the usual fare. To avoid this and to get yourself out of the taxi scam, go head and install the Grab, Be, or Go Viet App on your smart phone, this is local version of UBER in west and it works perfect with set fare for taxi and or other means of transportations.

Female Safety in Vietnam

One of the most attractive features of Vietnam is that the country is relatively inexpensive country to explore and a destination that attracts backpackers of any budget, in addition, it is one of the safest destinations in Southeast Asia, specially for the solo women. However, there are certain factors that your safety should be considered if you are a woman traveling alone to Vietnam and taking some precautions can help ensure your safety. When it comes to Vietnamese attitudes towards women traveling alone, one factor worth considering is that Vietnamese men may curiously asking you “why are you traveling alone”or, are you married? To answer this questions, some women choose to wear a simulated wedding ring as a lure to avoid asking such questions. Clothing can also affect the way men act towards solo women in Vietnam. The best option is to follow the style of local women and cover up appropriately when heading to town. You may remember that while Vietnam is growing quickly, it is still a conservative country and wearing inappropriate may catch the attention.

Tips for Solo Female Travelers in Vietnam

Based on our own experience, we have safety travel tips for solo women traveling in Vietnam. Following are the best advices. Keep all valuables items such as camera, jewelry and mobile phone in your bag and hold it close to you at all times and particularly avoid carrying a camera or sunglasses on a strap around your neck in crowded areas. Motorbike bag snatchers have been reported in some cities, so, to avoid this and to keep them away, remember to hang your bag on your shoulder and hold the strap with one hand.

Keep in touch with your family and friends back home

As safety is concerned, we advice you to update your relatives and family back home, tell them where will you travel and where are you going to stay and with whom, this may help them to track you in case of emergency. Its been several reports recently about solo travelers of both men and women which have been out of tracking since they get lost in the dense forests of northern Vietnam. Also, try to move around if you are planning to have a trip to the mountainous regions of Vietnam. Get yourself a sim-card and use the data to connect to 4G as you traveling. The best data providers including Vinaphone, Viet Tel and Mobiphone and you can always get a sim card upon arrival at the airport and or at your hotel with US$ 3-5 depending n internet package.

Respect the Local Culture

Vietnam is growing its modest value as its one of the fastest growing countries in Asia and perhaps in world, however, solo women keep in mind to dress appropriate and keep respect the traditional value of the locals specially if you are invited to a local home. Take your shoes off if you enter the pagoda and remember to cover your arms and legs or you will be stopped to enter the site. So the best practice if to dress modest and keep respect the local value and culture. In additions, there are curiosity that make Vietnamese always want to ask you a very private questions about life, work, relationship status and marriage life, so, don’t be surprised if you are asked by a local who you just met at the street or restaurant who’s trying to ask you about your age, income and business or marital status. Don’t be offended, local never mean to offend you, they are just curious and want to know what is your level compare to their ones. I myself answer happily and never get offended, however, if you find the questions irritating, you can just smile and change the topic.

Do not take photos of military centers

Although Vietnam is a country that has opened up significantly in recent years, like many countries, there is still a security presence in many transportation and military centers. Avoid taking pictures in areas where there are police or military personnel in some cases, they may ask you to delete photos and even ask you to hand over your memory card. Be respectful and use your best judgment when taking photos.

Carry a copy of your visa, passport and ID cards

We all know that the only valid document to travel to a foreign destination will be a passport, so, try to keep it safe in your hotel’s safe box and also remember to carry a color-printed copy of your passport’s front page as well as your entry visa, go extra mile and save them as a PDF file in your smart phone and also keep them in your e-mail so you can always access them in case you lost your hard copies. Remember to carry a water-proof bag to keep your document with you if you are traveling in rainy days.

Keep Your Valuables Out of Sight

Remember, you could be the attention for thieves and pick-pockets if you do not keep your valuable out of a sight. Keep money, valuable items, watch and jewelries always at the safe box at your hotel, the in-room safe deposit boxes secured with an electronic code. If the hotel doesn’t have the safe box in the room, you can always ask the reception to keep them for you, and, if you don’t want to do this, or wont trust, then try to keep a little cash on two or three pockets of your dress or pant and try to use ATM and credit card as they are popular and accepted on all restaurants and hotels and all tourism service providers. Learn more about currency of Vietnam. Also, if you are heading to the beach, try to bring as little as possible, just take some money to buy drink while surfing at the beach. The best advice is to go together with some other female friends. When traveling on the bus for long distance, store your cash, cameras or any of your travel documents including passport and other valuable items between your bags, and then if one goes missing you won’t have lost the lot. Also, Keep cash and credit cards close to you, consider wearing a money belt worn undr your jacket or t-shirt, and remember to not to keep cash or wallet on the back of your jeans.

Tours & Activities suit Solo Female Travelers in Vietnam

Spoilt for choice: Vietnam’s best beaches

Some of the best beaches in Asia can be found only in Vietnam. Solo female traveling in Vietnam will find following beaches perfect for their solo trip. The country boasts more than 3400km of coastline, with infinite stretches of powdery sand, coves, lagoons, impossible boulder formations and tropical islands ringed with yet more beaches. We can help you navigate the overwhelming amount of choices.

Nha Trang: The heavyweight champion of Vietnam, Nha Trang has been knocking out visitors for years. True, the town is brazen and brash, but the beach is bold and beautiful and a gateway to a cluster of quieter islands.

Mui Ne: Set on a seductive swathe of sand, Mui Ne is an absolute charmer with swaying palms and towering dunes. Get pummelled on the beach by a masseur or pummelled by the waves with some water sports – this place blends action and inertia to perfection.

Phu Quoc: Simply the most beautiful island in Vietnam, Phu Quoc is liberally sprinkled with picture-perfect white sand beaches and cloaked in dense, impenetrable jungle. Long Beach is sophisticated, Ong Lan Beach romantic, and Bai Sao simply irresistible.

Con Dao: The Con Dao islands have been protected from over-exposure by their isolated location off the coast. Enjoy it while it lasts, with their smattering of resorts and an overdose of idyllic beaches, as this is sure to be the next big thing in Vietnamese beaches.

My Khe / Cua Dai: Whether you call it My Khe to the north or Cua Dai to the south, or even China beach, it’s all just one long, luscious stretch of sand. Try surfing off the shores of Danang or just pamper yourself at the resorts near Hoi An.

Venture into Vietnam’s History, Food & Heritage

Vietnam’s long history can be interesting for those with similar interest, explore the UNESCO heritage sites, discover local houses in Hoi An, take a motorbike trip, stay with locals in Sapa and take a adventure to discover golden rice fields in Vietnam. As a solo women traveling in Vietnam, you will only have to explore and remember to take the minimum cautions to keep yourself safe.

Get your noodle around Vietnamese food and include a foodie tour to taste the country’s best local dishes. Try the famous beef noodle soup as the local call it Phu, and such it is, but so much more. It is Vietnam in a bowl. Pronounced like ‘fur’ (but drop the ‘r’), it is beef noodle soup raised to the nth degree. You can have pho everywhere in Vietnam, but it is almost a cult in Hanoi. From the garnish tray, add a squeeze of lime juice. Add beansprouts to the soup, and a dash of chilli sauce and fish sauce. Lastly, sprinkle it with coriander leaves, or mint leaves, or basil. Or all of them. With your chopsticks, thrust deeply to the bottom of the bowl. Lift the noodles above the surface and let the dressings you’ve added subsume into the body of the work. Lay the noodles back to rest. In the next minute the flavours will marry. The more traditional beef variety of pho is called pho bo, while the chicken is pho ga. We believe everyone must try the Phu noodle soup, no matter if you are a solo female and or a foodie enthusiast.

Join in Female-only Retreats in Vietnam

Traveling solo in Vietnam it sounded easy and without stress, however, some of you might be interested to know and look up for a woman only tours and or accommodation that allow women only stay, there are plenty of them in the country, in addition, if you’d like to take some time to relax your mind and body and get must out of your holiday, then, following destination are perfect place to escape the chaos of city life. You can always opt for some of the popular mini yoga retreat tours designed for solo female travelers which can be tailored to your needs. Also, some of the luxury spas and resorts specially in Phu Quoc, Nha trang, Hoi An and Con Dao offer amazing spa packages including rejuvenation, body and soul relaxing and many other benefits, to get to know more about them, I suggest you to read more about Massages in Vietnam.

Volunteer with Non-profits organizations

You may be fall in love with Vietnam and would like to know the best way to stay a bit longer while involving in some volunteer work through one of the many non-profit organizations in country. Volunteering in Vietnam is the best way to enjoy the beautiful beaches and help the community. Sapa, Hanoi and Saigon is the best place to volunteer at some of the non profit organizations. If you are a city person and active solo female traveling in Vietnam, teaching English in bigger cities is the perfect job for you.